I don’t use the backup made by Plex. The easiest thing to do is to follow the instructions here on moving the Plex data folder: [HowTo] An extended guide on how to move the Plex data folder on Windows - General / Tips, Tricks & How-Tos - Plex Forum
The simple steps that I take when reinstalling are:
- Copy the Plex data folder. I keep this data folder in a different location then the default to make it easy to backup and move to a new machine later. I suggest moving this folder before shutting down the existing server. That way you’ll be certain the registry entry for the data folder is correct.
- Backup (i.e. Export) Plex registry key.
- Reinstall Windows.
- Restore the Plex data folder to the same exact folder you had it on the old machine (something like C:\Plex Media Server).
- Re-install Plex
- Import Plex registry key
- Start Plex server
Everything should be the same as it was before assuming all your data directories are in the same place that they were before.
